A fire risk assessment can be carried out by the person responsible for the premises if they have enough knowledge, experience and understanding to assess the risks properly. For a very small and straightforward workplace, an employer or business owner may feel able to complete it themselves. As buildings become larger, shared or more complex, appointing a competent fire risk assessor is usually the more appropriate option.
Competence matters because a fire risk assessment involves judgement. The person carrying it out needs to understand how the building is used, how a fire might start or spread, who may be at risk and whether the existing precautions are suitable. A completed form on its own does not demonstrate that those questions have been answered properly.
For landlords, managing agents and business owners, the decision is therefore not simply about who is permitted to do the work. It is about choosing someone with the knowledge and experience needed for the particular premises. A small office, HMO, residential building and multi-occupied commercial property can present very different issues.
What makes someone competent to carry out an assessment
Competence depends on having suitable knowledge, training and experience for the work being undertaken. The level required should reflect the building and the risks involved.
A small office with a simple layout and limited occupancy may be relatively straightforward. A converted residential property, HMO or building occupied by several businesses requires a broader understanding of escape routes, fire doors, compartmentation, warning systems, management arrangements and shared responsibilities.
Experience with the type of property also matters. Someone may understand general workplace fire safety without having the knowledge needed to assess a residential building with communal areas. The assessor should also recognise the limits of their own competence and identify when another specialist needs to investigate a particular issue.
Can the Responsible Person do it themselves
The Responsible Person may be able to carry out the assessment where the premises are simple and they genuinely understand what they are assessing. Knowing the building well can help because the employer, landlord or facilities manager may understand how it is used and hold relevant maintenance records.
Familiarity with a building is not the same as competence in fire risk assessment. People can become used to conditions that an independent assessor would question. Storage may gradually encroach on a route, a door may no longer close properly or testing records may become incomplete without anybody treating the change as significant.
The person completing the assessment also needs to be comfortable taking responsibility for the judgements recorded within it. If the premises are not genuinely straightforward, professional input can provide a clearer basis for managing the risks.
Who may be suitable to carry out the assessment
| Person | When they may be suitable | What needs to be considered |
| Employer or business owner | Very small and straightforward premises where they have suitable knowledge | Whether they can recognise issues beyond the obvious workplace hazards. |
| Landlord | A simple property where they understand the building and their responsibilities | Shared areas, sleeping accommodation and tenant use can add complexity. |
| Facilities manager | Where they have suitable fire safety knowledge as well as detailed building knowledge | Familiarity with the premises does not by itself establish competence. |
| Managing agent | Where the individual has suitable knowledge and experience | Managing the property and technically assessing fire risk are different roles. |
| Professional fire risk assessor | Buildings where independent judgement, greater complexity or a reliable written record is required | Their qualifications and experience should suit the type of premises. |
When a professional fire risk assessor is the better choice
The case for professional assessment becomes stronger where several people rely on the same building arrangements or the property contains features that require more detailed judgement.
Sleeping accommodation is one example. People may take longer to recognise danger while asleep, and shared residential properties can involve different tenants, common escape routes and management responsibilities that need to be considered together.
Multi-occupied commercial buildings create another challenge. A tenant may control its own workplace while the landlord or managing agent controls corridors, stairs or central systems. Older converted buildings can add uncertainty where alterations have affected walls, doors or escape arrangements and reliable records are limited.
In these situations, the value of a professional assessor lies in the quality of the judgement and the ability to explain what the findings mean for the person responsible.
Why a template cannot assess the building for you
Templates can help organise information and remind someone of common areas to consider. They cannot decide whether the precautions in a particular building are suitable.
A template cannot judge whether an escape route works for the people using it, whether damage to a door needs further attention or whether responsibility is split between several parties. Completing every field can still produce a weak assessment if the person filling it in does not understand the building.
That distinction becomes important when the report is later requested by a managing agent, insurer, licensing authority or enforcing body. The document needs to reflect an actual assessment of the premises rather than a generic checklist.
Qualifications and experience should fit the premises
Qualifications are an important indication that an assessor has undertaken relevant training, but they should be considered alongside experience. The person should understand the type of property they are being asked to inspect.
An HMO requires an understanding of sleeping risk and shared occupation. An office needs consideration of workplace arrangements. A residential building with communal areas brings different questions again. The assessor should be able to recognise those differences and explain when something falls outside the normal scope of the assessment.
ClearFire’s assessments are carried out by Kevin Bonnar or Jon Sheaf. Both are Level 4 qualified fire risk assessors and Level 3 qualified fire door inspectors, and their backgrounds include extensive experience with building construction, fire-rated systems and building envelopes.
Independence can matter
A fire risk assessment can lead to recommendations for repairs, maintenance or further specialist work. It is useful for the person making those recommendations to be clear about any commercial interest in the work that may follow.
ClearFire does not sell alarm systems, extinguishers or remedial building works. Jon and Kevin assess the premises and explain what they believe needs attention without quoting to carry out those repairs themselves.
For landlords and managing agents, that separation can make the report easier to use when obtaining contractor quotations. The assessment identifies the issue, while the client remains free to choose the appropriate contractor.
Managing agents need an assessor they can speak to
Managing agents often need clarification after a report has been issued. A freeholder may question a recommendation, a director may ask why work is needed or a contractor may need more information before pricing the job.
Being able to speak directly with the assessor makes those conversations easier. With ClearFire, Jon or Kevin carries out the site visit personally. If a question comes back afterwards, the person answering it has seen the building and understands why the recommendation was made.
That continuity can be especially useful where an agent manages several properties and wants a consistent relationship with the people carrying out the work.
Landlords should consider the type of property
A landlord responsible for a straightforward commercial unit faces a different level of complexity from someone managing an HMO or converted residential building. Shared areas can introduce communal escape routes and responsibilities that affect several occupants. Sleeping accommodation adds another layer of risk, while older properties may contain alterations carried out with limited records.
The cheapest quote is not always the best value if the person carrying out the work does not have suitable experience for the building. A more useful question is whether the assessor can produce a report the landlord can understand and use.
The assessment should leave the landlord with greater clarity about the property rather than another document that raises more questions than it answers.
Business owners need advice that fits the workplace
Small and medium-sized businesses usually want straightforward answers. They need to know whether the workplace has been considered properly, what needs attention and what can be dealt with through routine management.
An office, shop, salon and warehouse all operate differently. The assessor should look at the actual workplace rather than applying the same conclusions to every business. Occupancy, electrical equipment, customer access, storage and travel distances can all change the questions that need to be asked.
A competent assessor understands those differences and explains the findings in a way the business owner can act on.
What to ask before appointing a fire risk assessor
Before choosing an assessor, establish who will actually visit the premises and whether they have experience with that type of building. Ask about relevant qualifications, professional insurance and the way the report is structured.
It is also worth understanding what happens after the visit. If you have a question about a recommendation, can you speak with the person who inspected the building? If specialist work is recommended, will the report explain why it is needed?
Those questions often tell you more about the likely quality of the service than comparing assessors on price alone.
Why choose ClearFire
ClearFire is a qualified local fire risk assessment service focused on clear reporting and direct contact with the assessor carrying out the work. Every site visit is carried out by Kevin or Jon personally, and clients can speak to the same person if questions arise afterwards.
ClearFire works across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire with landlords, managing agents, office owners and other businesses. The reports are written for the people who need to use them, whether that means briefing a client, arranging contractor work or managing a workplace.
The role is to assess the premises independently, record the findings and give the person responsible a practical basis for deciding what happens next.
Book a fire risk assessment with ClearFire
If you are unsure whether you can carry out your own fire risk assessment or whether the premises need a professional assessor, the complexity of the building should guide the decision.
Contact ClearFire to discuss your premises and request a quote for a fire risk assessment.
ClearFire carries out Type 1–4 fire risk assessments across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Every assessment is led, walked and signed by owners Kevin Bonnar & Jon Sheaf, never delegated to a junior or subcontractor. Same-week availability.
